`Casual' a hard sell to Japanese officials

[dArKeR]

Japan's bureaucratic rank-and-file march in dark jackets and ties to their offices every day, sweating their way through the country's sticky, sweltering summers.
Starting today, they'll be sweating a little less. In a nationwide campaign to save energy by cutting down on air conditioning, the government has urged public workers to leave their ties and jackets home for the summer.

That might be an easy order in most countries, but in Japan -- where conformity and tradition are prized -- the effort, dubbed "Cool Biz," has enlisted help from the highest authorities. Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi recently showed up in a newspaper advertisement wearing a half-sleeve shirt with no tie, urging his Cabinet to follow suit.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2005/06/01/2003257471

Same as America. A legion of slaves.

[zbdent]

1. "Same as America"

Well, not quite - in Japan, the management would join the workers and get their hands dirty to make sure the company would not be dishonored (not for just a photo-op).

At least, that's the way it used to be. They probably have become more Americanized as the years have gone by . . .